Community Spirit

St. Martin of Tours Church in South Buffalo will host a free “Praise-A-Peel” music event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22. The event will feature the music of Father Bill Quinlivan accompanied by a few other musicians and vocalists.

“The goal of the ‘Praise-A-Peel’ musical event is to prepare people for Thanksgiving,” said Fr. Quinlivan. “The event will also include a blessing of potato peelers and likely a telling of the story of how I once ended up in the emergency room as a result of preparing a small part of Thanksgiving dinner for my family.”

The Elmwood Village Farmers Market, Western New York most popular outdoor farmers’ market, will extend its season by eight weeks with an indoor Holiday Market on Bidwell. The Holiday Market will take place inside St. John’s Grace Episcopal Church, 51 Colonial Circle, Buffalo, just steps away from the outdoor market’s location at Elmwood Avenue and Bidwell Parkway.

The Olear Team at MJ Peterson Real Estate has announced it will make a donation to Meals on Wheels with every house they sell in Western New York. The donations will be made to Meals on Wheels for Western New York, Amherst Meals on Wheels or Ken-Ton Meals on Wheels, depending on the location of the sale.

Meals on Wheels fulfills a critical need by providing nutritious meals and human companionship to homebound and disabled members of the community. Their vision is to ensure that every member of our community will receive a meal that meets their nutritional needs.

Four teams of young rowers will compete in Buffalo on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Head of the Buffalo Regatta hosted by the Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association (BSRA). The event will kick off from the BSRA boathouse at 405 Ohio St.

Competing in the event will be Team BSRA Girls, as well as teams from Buffalo Seminary, City Honors and Mercyhurst High School in Erie, Pa. Racing will take place from approximately 9:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Founded in 2010, the nonprofit BSRA provides community access to rowing on the Buffalo River. The organization offers high school, adult (masters), Learn to Row and We Can Row programs.

Come raise the spirits with Explore Buffalo from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 28! Join in the Halloween fun at the Barrel Factory in the Old First Ward for a spooky good time with supernatural entertainment, revolting refreshments and unique cocktails from Lakeward Spirits. Take a walk through our Founding Buffalonians Cemetery and wear your best BOO!ffalo themed costume for a chance to win a creepy prize.

Prizes will be awarded for Best Buffalo-themed, Best Couples and Best Overall costumes. Don’t forget to check out the Mummy Wine Wall and Casket Raffle (additional costs) for a chance to bring some spirits home with you!

Admission includes one drink ticket, a digital souvenir photo, finger foods, entrance in the costume contest and music by DJ Sike. Admission is 21 and over.

Identity theft is still a major problem in the United States. Over 15 million U.S. consumers lost $16 billion in 2016, compared with $15.3 billion and 13.1 million victims a year earlier. In the past six years, ID thieves have stolen over $107 billion.

To help combat ID theft and educate the public on best practices to secure personal information, Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York, in partnership with Tops Friendly Markets, Shred-It, AT&T, Greater Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce, Cheektowaga Chamber of Commerce, and West Seneca Chamber of Commerce will host Secure Your ID Day on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. – noon across Upstate New York (Western New York, Rochester, and Central New York).

The free community shredding events in Western New York will be held at Tops Friendly Markets at 355 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca and 3865 Union Road (corner of George Urban Blvd.), Cheektowaga in the parking lots.

Positive ways to take action on environmental issues will be addressed at the 13th annual Western New York Environmental Summit taking place Sept. 30 at Daemen College.

“Get Involved: A Toolkit for Action,” which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon in Daemen’s Wick Campus Center. A continental breakfast will be provided for all event attendees.

“This year’s event is designed to educate attendees on how they can make a difference and have a positive impact on environmental issues,” said Dr. Brenda Young, program director of global and local sustainability. “Understanding the tools that are available to create change will help make efforts more effective in our communities.”

The Environmental Summit will kick off with a keynote presentation, “Empowering Your Organization Brand Through Social Media, to be given by Daniel Wangelin, owner of [re]noun creative, a Buffalo-based design and marketing company.